To say that search is evolving at lightning speed is a major understatement. And another marketing adage that can’t be repeated enough? If your marketing strategy is still stuck in the old playbook, you’re already behind.
Heleen Alberts is a director at Jubez Marketing.
Luckily, two online marketing trends – that we’ve been watching unfold for years – are rewriting the rules. We’re talking about a shift that impacts everything from how you structure your content to how your brand earns trust online: the massive growth of generative AI and smarter search engines.
Driven by this, here are two trends for 2026 that we think are non-negotiable for marketers who want to stay visible and relevant.
Trend 1: SEO moves from keywords to topics
For years, SEO was about keywords and keyphrases. You picked the right phrase, optimised your page, and hoped for the best. That worked - until it didn’t. Today, answer engines like Google’s AI Overviews and platforms like Perplexity don’t just match words; they interpret context, intent, and relationships. They want to deliver one clear answer, not a list of links.
Why the shift?
AI comprehension: Generative AI understands entities and how they connect. It favours content that proves comprehensive expertise around an entire subject, not just one keyword phrase.
User behaviour: People aren’t typing “retirement strategies” anymore. They’re asking, “What are the best long-term retirement strategies for a mid-career professional?” That’s a complex question—and it needs a broad, interconnected body of content to answer it fully.
Topical authority: By linking related articles together under a single pillar page (creating a topic cluster), you signal to search engines that you are the authoritative expert on the subject. Google rewards this depth and structure with higher visibility.
Heleen Alberts 24 Nov 2025 What does this mean for our strategy?
Content Architecture is King: We build Pillar Pages (broad, comprehensive guides) linked to numerous supporting Cluster Pages (detailed sub-topics). This architecture strengthens the entire domain, not just one page.
Intent-Driven Content: Every piece of content is designed to satisfy the intent of the user (e.g., teaching them how to do something, helping them compare products, or providing factual information).
Internal Linking Becomes Critical: We strategically use internal links to connect all related content, guiding both users and crawlers through the topic cluster. This ensures "link equity" flows efficiently throughout the site, reinforcing our authority.
We’ve been structuring client content around topic clusters for over two years, and here’s the truth: it works. Forget about “we sent 100 emails this week” and start looking for “we increased qualified leads by 25% this quarter.” This is the quantitative data that equates to marketing gold.
Trend 2: Brand citations replace the backlink chase
Traditionally, backlinks were the holy grail of SEO. When you get more links, you rank higher. Simple, right? Except it wasn't because it just led to spammy tactics and endless frustration. Now, AI is changing the game by looking for trust signals, not just hyperlinks. Enter brand citations - mentions of your brand across credible sources, even without a link.
Why does this matter?
Trust signals for AI: Generative models look beyond the HTML of a link. They analyse the broader digital footprint and reputation of a brand (entity authority). An unlinked mention of your company name on a respected industry publication now carries significant weight because it signals trust and real-world credibility.
Reputation as a ranking factor: AI draws information from reviews, forums, news articles, and business directories to establish a company’s reputation. A strong, positive reputation across the web makes the AI more likely to cite and reference the brand in its generated answers.
Zero-click search: Since AI Overviews often provide the full answer without the user needing to click, the SEO goal shifts from securing the “blue link” to securing the brand mention or citation within the AI’s response. This is a crucial win for brand visibility, even without a click.
How do we make this work?
Integrated PR and SEO: We actively pursue brand mentions in high-authority media outlets and industry reports. Our strategy merges public relations tactics with SEO, aiming for placements where your brand name is used as an authoritative source.
Structured data implementation: We use schema markup to explicitly define your brand’s name, services, and expertise to AI models, essentially providing a machine-readable “About Us” page that builds your entity authority.
Reputation management focus: We strategically grow authentic, positive reviews and ensure business information (NAP: name, address, phone) is consistent across every directory, reinforcing the trust signals that AI systems crave.
This doesn’t mean backlinks are dead. It means the game has changed, and so must your marketing strategy.
2026 quick wins
- Audit your content: Map out your topics. Build clusters. Connect the dots.
- Plan for intent: Stop writing for keywords. Start writing for questions.
- Add structured data: Make it easy for machines to understand your brand.
- Secure brand mentions: Think PR meets SEO. Get your name in the right places.
- Unify your identity: Consistency builds trust. Everywhere.
The bottom line is that SEO in 2026 is about depth and trust. Topic clusters give you authority, brand citations give you credibility. Together, they make your marketing future-proof.
